Accolade for Kia Soul’ster

The open-air Soul'ster Concept, which made its debut at the 2009 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) last January, was named the 2009 Concept Truck of the Year during the 2009 North American Concept Vehicle of the Year Awards at the Automotive Hall of Fame in Dearborn, Michigan.

Honoured for its beach-ready prowess and creative design, Soul'ster is the first concept from Kia Motors to receive one of the coveted Concept Vehicle of the Year Awards, proving that a small, personal-use truck can still be fun and capable.

"The Soul production vehicle has provided our design team with a tremendous platform for expression, and with the Soul'ster we sought to highlight a different side of the Soul and take it to another level," said Tom Kearns, chief designer of Kia Design Center America.

"It is an honour for the Soul'ster to be named Concept Truck of the Year, and further proof that Kia's global commitment to design is dramatically altering the brand's image and consumer's opinion of our company and our vehicles."

"The Kia Soul'ster shows the playfulness of the designers from the initial design of the Soul," said Lou Ann Hammond, one of the judges.

The Soul'ster is a two-door concept with roadster roots - the brightly coloured Soul'r yellow Soul'ster projects a hip industrial look with screw borders, reminiscent of a rivet design found on a fighter jet.

This is certainly one cool truck.